Under Fire: A Tale of the Shenandoah Valley — page 109: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

102 AT THE POINT OF THE SWORD. furious passion, now advanced with naked sword raised aloft. Mr. Clymore stood staring helplessly at the two men. He had heard of Moses Bluff, and believed the colonel had not enlarged in the least on the man’s villainy; and to think that he had sheltered and fed such a wretch during the ten days just passed. No wonder the old farmer was quite dumb with amazement and horror for the time. The hollow eyes of the invalid soldier did not — flinch in their concentrated gaze into the dark face of the rebel raider, ““Fizra Trafton, you have lied most villainously about me, and you know it. Iam nota traitor, as you are, to the country that gave me birth. This is the State of Washington, the founder and father of our common country. He fought eight long years to es- tablish the government and the flag for which I am willing to lay down my life——”? ‘Ror which you shall die, youngster,’’ hissed Col- onel Trafton, holding his hand for the moment, in spite of himself. ‘My personal wrongs I consider secondary to love for the Union,’’ pursued Moses Bluff.. ‘‘You accuse me of treason, of murder. Ah! Colonel T'rafton, you knew when those words left your lips that you uttered dies, base, infernal lies, that came from a corrupt heart for a corrupt purpose. I brand you, Colonel Trafton, not only a lar, but a traitor and a coward as well!’ Weak with his whirling passions evoked by the presence and words of his enemy, Moses Bluff reeled and sank into his chair, where a moment later the point of Trafton’s sword was raised to pierce his loyal - heart! comicbooks co